Deal or no deal?

"When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everyone will respect you"

- Lao Tzu

So it's Saturday night, or at least it is here in the UK, and that can only mean one thing...Saturday night game shows! I know there are lots of readers of my blog who are not from the UK, and maybe Saturday night game shows are not so familiar to you. But I have no doubt wherever you are in the world game shows are no strange thing you.

Over the years there have been so many different game shows, but still to this day one of my all time favourites has to be 'Deal or no Deal'. What a show! It's so successful that I think it's been produced in every country around the world. I remember a holiday once in Spain and remember seeing a Spanish version being broadcast on TV. It's such a good game show. Luckily for me it's simple. There's no real skill or mental challenge needed to win the game, just simple pot luck. Pick a numbered box, and hope that the amount of money inside is not a high amount. If you are not sure of the program here's a link to a clip for your viewing pleasure!;

As I sat watching TV this morning there were repeat episodes being played, one of which I had seen before. It was of a woman who had reached the final round with two money options left; either she would win 1p or £250,000. Quite a difference! As the tension built up the phone rang. Mr Banker. (If you haven't seen the show, there is a secret banker who tries to offer contestants different amounts of money to stop them playing the game further.)

So the phone rings and the banker makes an offer. £75,000. WOW! That's an offer. If someone offered me £75,000 I would in no way turn it down. But how could the player take £75,000 when she could have £250,000?!?! What would you do in that situation? Take the £75,000 or risk it all for the chance of £250,000? Tricky decision!

Watching this this afternoon reminded me of of a saying my dad used to say to me that has always stuck with me, and has helped me out of a few tricky situations. The saying is one that many people know and it goes;

"A bird in the hand is worth more than 2 in the bush"

Ok, so as a child this saying meant absolutely nothing, but as I grew up this saying made complete sense. When there's something you do have, why risk it for something what you could have?  If you have a bird in your hand, that bird is yours. That's worth far more than trying to go after two birds in the bush which could, very easily, fly off leaving you with nothing!

So back to the program. As I watched, shouting "Deal" at the screen, it was clear to see that this player was definitely going after 2 in the bush and she turned the deal down. This was it. 1p or £250,000? As you can probably guess, she ended up with 1p. Her two birds flew off!

This got me thinking about life.

Have you ever been in the position where you have made a decision and very quickly afterwards  something else has comes along that you would have preferred? Maybe you've made plans with someone and then you get an invite to another event. Too late you've made your plan. Or you accept a job offer and another comes your way?  There are loads of examples I could go into in life, where we've got a "bird" in our hand, but those 2 in the bush look really appealing! Where we've decided on one thing but something else comes along which on the outside looks so much better.

And so I end with this thought.

In the world there are so many people who are willing to drop everything for something better. Very often it's not about what I can do for others, it's about what others can do for me. I'm certainly guilty of doing that in the past. We live in a world where people are simply eager to drop everything when those 2 little birds come hopping past. But why?

So often the things we have, the relationships we've got, the possessions we own are more than enough for us. We have all we need and yet we are never satisfied. People are always looking for the next big thing to come along, looking at how they can trade in and upgrade. From simple things, like upgrading to the iPhone 5S because the iPhone 5 wasn't good enough, to bigger things like finding ways to move up the ladder in work. We are always trying to go after other things rather than being happy where we are.

Am I saying we shouldn't be ambitious? No. Am I saying we shouldn't strive to be better? Absolutely not. So what am I saying?

Life is full of amazing things. Things that sometimes we fail to appreciate. Things that are ours and that we have in our hand. Yet many times we can be swayed, distracted, by the opportunity to "upgrade" for new things we could have! All to soon we leave everything else, and everyone else behind.

Life is about more than simply upgrading and getting bigger and better. It's more than just going after the 2 birds in the bush. Yes, strive to be better, yes look to improve your life but appreciate and be content with what you already have first. It's certainly a lot more than many in this world have got. I love life and everything it comes with and I'm certainly not going after anything else while I have this one! As you read this blog, learn to appreciate everything you have. There are a lot of people in a far worse place than you, with no bird at all! I wonder how many people would say "deal" to you if you offered them your life?

Chances are...a lot!

Bywyd sydd yn byw! - Just living life!

RM

(p.s. People have been asking about the 1000th surprise. It did take a bit longer to sort out, as I didn't expect 1000 readers so soon, but should be ready by Tuesday/Wednesday at the latest. Will explain in my blogs! Thank you Musers!)